Landing a job in a multinational is often seen as a daunting, hotly competitive task, but some undergraduate work experience and soft skills can go a long way.
Chemical and biomolecular engineering graduate Alvis Cheong did an internship and participated in case challenges set by multinationals, where he learnt how to create solutions to improve production processes.
This work experience helped Mr Cheong, 26, to land his job at American semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries when he graduated from Nanyang Technological University in July last year.
Now a process engineer, he addresses issues that occur on the production line and develops solutions that allow GlobalFoundries' three fabrication plants to streamline processes to increase production capacity.
Looking back, he said: "One fortunate thing as an undergraduate student in Singapore is that we were given a lot of opportunities to expose ourselves to learn and experience what it is like in a working environment."
He did his internship at industrial gas supplier Air Liquide. "This experience exposed me to implementing a new gas line to existing production plants, which helped in drawing the links between theoretical and practical applications, where considerations of cost and safety have immediate implications and have no room for error."
He also took part in case challenges to develop solutions for multinationals to streamline their processes.
Besides experience in working with multinationals and developing technical expertise, soft skills are vital, said Micron Technology shift manufacturing production engineer Farah Nadhirah Ja'afar Abdul Razak.
She leads a team managing remote manufacturing operations, providing real-time analysis, creative problem solving and timely decision-making to support the production of the latest 3D Nand technology memory chips.
Ms Farah, 24, joined Micron in February last year after graduating from the Singapore Institute of Technology in October the year before with a major in aerospace systems.
While people might think that engineering skills are important, she said that other soft skills are paramount in landing a job with a multinational.
"Strong communications can contribute to a more collaborative workplace, improve time management, efficiency and work quality," she noted.
This is alongside the need to continually keep updated in analytical skills and advanced programming knowledge.
Ms Farah added: "For job seekers looking for roles in multinationals, my advice is to follow your passion but keep an open mind and identify those industries with longevity."
These could be those that deal with cutting-edge technology such as 5G, artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing, which are constantly evolving and offer job opportunities.
© 2020 Singapore Press Holdings
This article was written by Sue-Ann Tan from The Straits Times and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
